Pivoted floating latch for suction cleaner tube or hose coupling



July 17, 1956 D. H. BRENNAN ETAL PIVOTED momma LATCH FOR SUCTION CLEANER TUBE OR HOSE coupuuc Filed July 26 1952 0 mm m m f eB mH A aw A; D W S b 5 Q Their Attorng.

Y pivots about the pawl end United States Patent PIVOTED FLOATING LATCH FOR SUCTION CLEANER TUBE OR HOSE COUPLING Daniel H. Brennan, Cleveland Heights, and Daniel J. Chisholm, East Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application July 26, 1952, Serial No. 301,064 8 Claims. (Cl. 285-7) Our invention relates to a tube or hose coupling of the type generally used with suction cleaners. More particularly, our invention relates to a quick-operating, pushbutton-controlled latch for telescoped tubular sections such as those which are used in the air passageways of suction cleaners.

The coupling of the present invention may be used for tubes, wands or hoses of the type used with suction cleaners, and is useful in connecting a hose or a tube to a cleaner or in connecting sections of tubing or hose together.

In many present designs of tube or hose couplings such as those used with suction cleaners, there is a spring pressed latch which will snap into place to hold two telescoped sections of tube together when the end of one is slid into the end of the other. The latched coupling may be released by pushing a button to release the spring catch and thereafter the tubular sections may be removed from telescoped relation. Our invention relates to a coupling of this general character.

One object of our invention is to provide a spring pressed latch coupling which increases the holding power of the latch member securing the tubular parts together without increasing the difficulty of moving the parts toward latching position.

Another object of our invention is to provide a latch releasing arrangement for such a coupling by which an operator can intentionally disengage the latch with greater ease than with known constructions. Compared to former designs, our invention increases the firmness and reliability of the latch when it is engaged, a feature which is especially useful when there is a resilient air seal used between the two telescoped tube sections. Our improved latch allows a greater pre-load 0n the resilient air seal when the latch is engaged, but reduces the fingerbutton pressure necessary to release the latch when it is under such an additional load.

The objects of our invention are obtained generally by providing a double pivoting action of the latch bar or member. With this action, when the tubes are telescoped, the latch bar pivots at one end and allows the pawl of the latch to be easily depressed to engage the other tubular member. When release is required, the other end of the latching bar is moved so that the bar and a much greater force may be applied to disengage the pawl of the latch.

Other objects and further details of that which we believe to be novel and our invention will be clear from the following description and claims taken with the accompanying drawings in which are illustrated two examples of couplings embodying the present invention and incorporating our improved double pivoting latch.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a coupling, shown between the end of a hose and the body of a suction cleaner with the parts in their engaged or coupled position; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the parts in their pushbutton release posi tion; Fig. 3 is also similar to Fig. 1 but shows the parts engaged position;

7 would simply be the edge of a as they will appear during movement toward latched or Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged section on the line and in the direction of the arrows 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one end of the tubular member which carries the latch in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a fragment of the latch and its associated spring according to Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a View similar to that of Fig. 1 but showing a modification of our invention, and Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken generally along the line and 88 of Fig. 7.

As indicated above, our invention may be used to.connect' together two tubular members such as those used in the air passages of a suction cleaner. As an example of such a coupling, we will show and describe the invention as a coupling between the end of a flexible hose section and the body of a suction cleaner, although obviously the coupling might be made between two sections of hose or tubing.

As shown in the drawing, the two elements to be coupled are an inner cylindrical tube 1 which is to be telescoped into an outer cylindrical tube 2. The inner tube has an open free end 3 w 'le the outer tube may be considered as having an open free end 4, shown in Fig. l and other figures as the entrance hole in the end cap 5 of a suction cleaner. When used as a coupling for a hose, the inside tube may be suitably connected to one end of a flexible hose 6 by means of a conventional swivel joint 7 which is not described here because it constitutes no part of the present invention.

Spaced inwardly from the open end 4 of the outer tube2, is a latching shoulder or recess shown here in the form of an edge 8 on tube 2 spaced from the end 4. In the case of a continuous elongated tube this edge 8 hole in that tube or a latching depression or shoulder on the inner wall of that tube.

For making an air sealed connection between the two tubular members, a resilient annular sealing collar 9 is provided, carried by the outside of the first tube and bearing against the shoulder formed by an annular rib tube and therefore seats against the open edge of the second tube when the tubes are telescoped, is made of suflicient stiflness to resist collapse and breaking of the air seal under the differentials of pressure expected to be encountered.

In order to lock the two tubular members in their assembled and telescoped relation we provide a latch bar 11 having what we call a double pivoting action. This bar, as shown, is carried next to the inner wall of the inside tube and is constrained from movement axially of the tube although permitted to move radially inwardly of the tube by means of a spring member which has an eifective supporting connection about midway of the ends of the bar. Two forms of spring members are illustrated, but both forms function to contact the latch bar intermediate its ends and urge it toward the inner wall of the inside tube; in both forms, the spring member is the sole supporting means for the latch bar and it functions to effect a floating mounting for the latch bar. In the form shown in Figs. 1 thru 6, the spring member is in the form of a fiat U-shaped spring 12 having its bight riveted or otherwise suitably secured as at 13 to the latching bar and the ends of its arms or'legsriveted or otherwise suitably secured to the walls of the inner tube near its end as indicated at the points marked 14. The walls of the tube 1 are deformed on a slant inwardly around the connection points 14 as shown'particularly in Fig. 5 at the places marked 15 so that when the'parts are assembled, the spring 12 in the direction of the arrows will take a bowed form such occm'to ourintentionthat chmodiflcationaand art from the true spirit and anddesiretoaecum byhetten Patent of the United States is:

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9,755,106 3 4 as that shown, with the latch bar biased at all times fications and applications of the invention will toward the wall of the inner tube. Connection of the those skilled in the art. It is theref the appended claims shall cover In applications as do not dep scope of our invention. d, and this spring may What we claim as new the channel formed by the annular spring 12 between the tube and the latch bar prevents axial shifting of the bar in this form.

and 8, a c-ahaped spring 16 is use he held in the inside of and we contemplate that various and other modi- I ship.

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5 8. A tubular coupling as defined in claim 1 wherein References Cited inthe file of this patent said first tube has a portion depressed inwardly which de- UNITED STATES PATENTS fines two flat surfaces, said spring comprises a U-shaped N 1916 strip of flexible material, the bight end of said spring 2132 f$: L 1936 being secured to said bar intermediate its ends, and the 5 2:516:907 Penfold Aug. 1, 1950 legs of said spring being secured to said flat surfaces, and 2,523,770 Maren, Sept 24 1950 wherein said bar is disposed so as to have a portion there- S of located between said legs, whereby portions of said bar are adapted to move between said legs during operation m 575 Absil'act-zz7i449i October, 1952! 663 of said latch. 

